"So," Kory began while she dragged every food that was sweet out of Florence's refridgerator, "how long have you guys been dating?"

"Almost a year," the short brunette said as she sat on the counter and ate directly from a large jar of peanut butter.

"Ah. You two are really cute together, you know."

Florence blushed slightly and looked down into the jar, a cute smile on her face. "I hope so... He makes me so happy, Kory."

"I can tell," she laughed. She then bit into a cooled candy bar- one that probably belonged to London. "But um... What do you know about him?"

"What do you mean?"

How do I even put this...?

"What do you uh... Know about his family? Where he was born, what his interests are?" Kory knew the answers to all of the questions she had. She just needed to find out what she knew.

"Well, I know that he was born here in Beacon Hills, and I know that he likes to play sports-mostly basketball- but not around other people. He likes to go to basketball courts at night when no one else is around and just shoot hoops," Florence stated as she licked some peanut butter off of a spoon.

I remember that... He used to love playing in teams, though. Why'd he stop?

"How do you know that? I mean you said he goes alone."

"He took me to the park one night and we played one-on-one. He beat me of course," Florence giggled.

"Yeah, he seems like the type of guy to be competitive."

Hell yeah, he's competetive. The little bastard never let any of the human team players take the spotlight during games.

"You have no idea."

Kory had to smile at that. "Right... So what about his family?" Really, it hurt to even think about that. She knew his family... They were always so nice to her. She loved Cora, his little sister. She remembered when she and Derek would babysit her- wait, is it babysitting if you sneak out to go to parties and pay the children you were supposed to be watching to keep their mouths shut?- and his younger brother, Damion. God, she missed those days...

"Oh... Um..." Florence frowned slightly and set the jar of peanut butter down on the counter. "He hasn't really told memuch about them."

"No? Well, what has he told you?"

"Just that he was kicked out because he was a jerk..."

God damn it, Derek... Just more lies piling up... She had better at least now what the hell you are.

"Why do you want to know anyway?" Florence asked with a slight tilt to her head.

"Because this is the guy holding my best friend's heart. I wanna make sure he's alright." The blond really wasn't lying. She always figured that Derek changed a lot... She just needed to know how.

"He's better than alright, Kory," she assured. "He's helped me out a lot."

"How so?" Kory asked, crossing her arms.

"Well... He uh... Got me out of bad situations."

The blond raised an eyebrow. "Like?"

Florence swallowed and quickly picked up the peanut butter and shoved the spoon in her mouth so she wouldn't have to speak. Really, it was kind of perfect. She had a moment to thing about what she was going to say, even if it was only brief, and she had the blissful taste of smooth peanut butter. But still... How would she explain everything that happened with Kyle to Kory? She never so much as told her that her ex hit her. When Kory asked how things were going with Kyle one night over a phone call- before Florence and Derek made their relationship official- Florence told her that they broke up and she really didn't want to talk about it. In all technicality, she wasn't lying. They did break up, and she really did not want to talk about it to anyone. The only reason why she told Derek was because he could see through her so easily... He just knew that something was up with her, which was one of the reasons why she was suspicious about him...

"Florence. What bad situations?" Kory asked just a bit impatiently.

The brunette pulled the spoon out of her mouth and shrugged lightly. "Maybe 'bad' isn't the right adjective..."

"Tell me anyway." She crossed her arms and leaned on the counter in front of Kory.

"Hey, you know, there's this movie coming out tonight. It's about this guy who-"

"No, it's about this girl who's best friend beat her to a bloody pulp because she wouldn't tell her anything."

Florence's eyes widened slightly. She must really want to know... She sighed and nodded lightly. "Alright... Um... Do you remember Kyle?"

"Yeah, I remember him. You guys broke up but you never really told me why... All you said was things weren't working out."

"That was true..." She felt as if her stomach turned black. It felt as if it were covered in a thick, slimy fluid... She wanted to throw up just by the thought of explaining those memories... Yeah, she left it behind her, she dropped it and didn't allow it to control her life, but she couldn't stop the sickening feeling she'd get every time she thought about it... She just learned to live with it.

"Ok... But I know there's more," Kory pressed, tilting her head slightly. She could see the sickened look on her friend's face.

Florence shook her head... And tears began welling up in her eyes. She didn't want to say it... She didn't want to relive those damned memories. God, she needed Derek, the only one who could take the pain...

"Florence... You're crying. I'd say that's pretty bad," the blond said, an ache going through her chest seeing her best friend cry.

"I am not crying," she said as she blinked and wiped her eyes. She told herself the same thing she had told herself for months now, Don't you dare cry. Don't give in. It's behind you. Don't you dare cry.

Kory could practically hear the hurt that came with every beat of the other girl's heart. "What is it?" her voice was soft and light, "What happened to you? Did Derek...?"

"No! No... No, Derek would never hurt me."

You don't know that. "I just wanted to make sure. But... Someone did. Was it Kyle?"

Florence nodded slowly, not wanting to speak.

"So... He hurt you? Like hurt you hurt you? Because that's what I'm getting off of this."

She didn't respond. She couldn't. All she could do was think... Think if she should tell her friend everything. No... I shouldn't. How am I supposed to get over this if I allow it to keep coming up?

"Florence?"

"I don't want to talk about it."

"You need to. How else am I supposed to help you?"

"Who said I needed help? Who even said that anything happened?" Florence's tone was gradually beginning to strengthen.

"You said that Derek helped you get out of some situations. I can only assume that these 'situations' affected you in negative ways... And now you're proving it."

"What? No I'm not!"

"You are..."

"How?" Florence's voice was now louder, but not so loud that everyone in the house could hear her.

"Just by the way you're getting defensive. That and you were about to cry."

The brunette stared at her friend with her mouth hanging open a bit for a brief moment before she quickly closed her jaws and looked away while exhaling through her nose. Now she was just irritated.

"I know there's something you're not telling me," Kory said, "so please... Talk to me."

Florence shook her head lightly. "There's nothing to talk about."

"That's bullshit and you know it."

"Is it?"

"Yeah!"

"Well then consider yourself served because that's all your getting. Now drop it!"

Kory put her hands up defensively. "Alright, alright..." Wow. That's great, Kory. Piss her off after only being here for an hour. Wonderful. The blond scolded herself for pushing too hard. With a sigh, she thought, Just... Try to make her laugh. I don't want her mad at me... "So..."

Florence was looking down at her hands at this point. The horrible feeling in her gut was still there, and she wanted nothing more than it to just go away.

"Florence?"

"What?"

"Do you wanna build a snowman?"

The brunette fought back a smile. "Go away, Kory."

"Ok, fiiiinnneeeee..." The blond faked a saddened look, but she couldn't hold back the smile tugging at her lips. She got deep dimples on both cheeks.

Florence sighed and jumped down from the counter, wrapping her arms around her best friend in a tight hug, they're faces squishing together. "I would love to build a snowman with you." She couldn't be mad at this woman... She was too much like family.

Kory smiled brightly against her cheek, feeling relieved that she wasn't angry with her. "In the middle of summer."

"Yeah! When else do you build snowmen?"

"During the zombie apocalypse!" both girls said the last two words simultaneously, making them giggle. Back when Kory was nineteen and Florence was eighteen- when they first met- they used the term "zombie apocalypse" as an answer to everything.

"Florence, when does London get back from work?"
"When the zombie apocalypse hits, mom."

"Aunnee Flower, di' you ha' fun on your day with Puppy?"

"Yes, I did. But the zombie apocalypse came up, so we had to kill some zombehs!"

"...Wha..."

"Ay, bitchacho! Why the hell can't I find my favorite jeans? You know the ones I let you borrow last week?"

"I'm keeping them just incase the zombie apocalypse happens."

It was actually the reason why they became friends so quickly. One day at the store with her mother, Florence ran off to the video games section to marvel over the Call of Duty game that had come out just a week prior.

*Almost four years ago*

She slowly stepped up to the large case that sheltered hundreds of other games and reached her hand up to touch the cool glass.

She had been saving her money for weeks for that game, and she finally had the cash in her pocket. Sure, it was sixty bucks, but hey, this was Black Ops, alright?!

Florence ran to the counter of the electronics center and begged for help from one of the employees, seeing as the game she so dearly wanted was behind glass. He made his way to the case- much too slow in Florence's opinion- and unlocked the door of the case. Her heart was pounding in her chest the whole time...

When she finally had it in her hands, her eyes began to water. With a sniffel, she looked up at the employee who was closing the glass.

"Thank you... So much," she looked at his nametag, "Levi."

Levi, who was actually a very short man, maybe five foot three, with jet black hair and grey eyes, smiled slightly. "No problem. That game is pretty kickass, so I get how you feel about finally having it."

Tears poured down her cheeks as she nodded and hugged him tightly, burying her face in his neck. "You don't understand how much this means to me, sir!"

He laughed. It wasn't an awkward or nervous laugh... It was genuine. "I think I do." He hugged her back. Damn, this boy really could give amazing hugs! He smelled pretty good too.

"Did she just get Black Ops?" Florence looked up from Levi's neck. No one there. She looked to the right and saw a girl, about her age and her height-maybe a few inches taller- with blond hair and bright blue eyes.

"Yes," Levi said, not even bothering to try to pry her off of him, "yes she did."

"Well, can I get a little CDO lovin'?"

Florence narrowed her eyes a little. "That depends. Are you here to buy the game?"

"Hell yeah!"

"Are you buying it for the campaign or for the zombies?"

"Pfft," the girl rolled her eyes, "Who buys it for the campaign? Zombies!"

"Dude." She pulled away from Levi, who had decided to just stay silent and watch the area around them to make sure no one was stealing any merchandise, and went up to the blond with her hand up for a high-five. "Yes."

Their hands slapped together and then locked as they pulled them down.

As soon as he was free, Levi pulled another Black Ops copy out of the large glass case and handed it to the blond girl, who seemed equally as excited to touch the game.

"I would rather have this than sex..." she mumbed, beginning to tear up.

Levi chuckled and said, "Enjoy your games, ladies." With that, he turned to walk away. He didn't get very far, however, because right as he turned, the blond-haired girl slapped his ass.

"I think I'd like to enjoy your games, shorty."

He smirked and shoved his hands in his pockets. "Sorry, but I have a girlfriend." He turned again and made his way back to the counter.

"So," Florence began, a bit amazed how this girl was able to touch him like that as if it was nothing, "You play for zombies?"

"Damn straight."

"Alright," the brunette crossed her arms, "tell me. What do you do to survive in a zompie apocalypse?"

"Find a male about your age. Go to a Costco or any large building that is packed with nonperishable foods. Take out all the zombies inside. Dispose of the bodies. Barricade the doors. Stay inside for two years to let the zombies die out."

"Wait, why find a male about your age?" Florence asked with a slight tilt to her head.

The girl grinned. "Repopulation!"

"Oh my god..." The brunette chuckled and shook her head.

"My name's Kory. I like you."

"Florence," she held her hand out to shake, "I like you too."

Kory smirked and grabbed her hand, pulling her into a tight hug. "You are my new friend." she stated, as if that could make it a cement deal. Neither of them knew how far those words would take them.

Florence giggled and hugged her back. "Awesome!"

"We should so meet up at my place or something and play this game!" Kory suggested, as if they had been friends for years.

"I think we should buy it first..."

"Nope." The blond pulled away from the hug and grabbed her hand and began tugging her along, her voice a whisper, "We'll just take the backdoor."

"Wait, what?!" Florence halted to a stop. There was no way she could steal that game!

The other girl laughed and turned to look at her. "I'm kidding. Of course we're going to pay for it. Come on," she began walking toward the counter, Florence following her.

Just moments later, the games were paid for and they were walking around the store. "Hey, we should get some candy."

Florence's eyes lit up at that suggestion. "And tea?"

"Please... Tell me... Arizona Black and White?" Kory looked almost pleading with her.

The shorter girl's eyes teared up just a little and she glompled her. "I think I've found my soul mate!"

Kory giggled and kept her arms at her sides, considering she really couldn't move them, what with Florence's arms around hers with an iron grip. "Sorry, but I don't swing that way."

"It's ok, I don't either!"

"You have a boyfriend?"

"Yup," Florence unlocked her arms and continued their walk to the candy isle. At this point, she and Kyle had only been together for about a month. She really didn't know how bad things would get from being with him... But she also didn't know the amazing gift she would recieve to compensate for it.

"Ohhh," Kory grinned, "What's his name?"

"Kyle," she blushed at the thought of him. "He's really nice to me."

"Oh? How so?"

"He does all of the normal boyfriend things. He holds my hand, kisses me, cuddles with me."

Kory smiled and walked into the isle shelving all of the candy. Her eyes scanned over every box and bag. Oh, how she loved the sight of the bright colors... And the scent that her wolf nose could pick up on that humans couldn't. "That's so nice. I hope he always treats you like that."

Florence nodded with a cute smile and looked over the inventory. "So what about you? Do you have a boyfriend?"

"Not right now. I've decided to give dating a break. It seems like all the guys I date are assholes..." Especially guys that tell you they love you and then sleep with someone else. But hey... It's been three years. It's done and over with. He fell off the face of the Earth after the fire... And she moved on.

Even though it still hurt.

Florence nodded again as she pulled a bag of SweeTart Gummies off of the shelf. She had to stand on the tips of her toes to reach it. "I'm sorry to hear that," she looked down at the bag then at her, a soft smile on her lips, "I'm sure you'll find the right guy for you."

The blond couldn't help but smile back. This girl was so sweet and adorable!

"I'm happy I met you today, Kory."

Her smile got bigger. "I'm happy I met you too, Muchacho."

*later that night*

"THAT IS SUCH MOTHER FUCKING BULLSHIT!"Kory screamed as she threw her controller across the room.

Florence just laughed and popped a gummy in her mouth.

"TWENTY FUCKING ROUNDS! TWENTY! MOTHER! FUCKING! ROUNDS!" she buried her face into the pillow she had over her lap so her elbows could rest comfortably. Both girls were sitting on the floor with their backs against Kory's bed.

"I know!" the brunette chuckled and took a small drink of her can of tea. "But see, we can go again."

Kory's face shot up from the pillow and stared at the screen. "You had better fucking believe we are going again."

*Present Day*

It had been so long since Florence had spent a night with her best friend. Too long. So when that day finally came, she couldn't have been happier.

"I missed this so much, you know," the younger girl said as they played Guitar Hero 3. Of course, Kory was kicking her ass.

"I missed it t- AH FUCK YEAH! NOTE STREAK OF FIVE HUNDRED! KISS MY ASS, MOTHER FUCKERS!" the blond screached as she jumped up from the stool they had grabbed from the kitchen. She gripped the neck of her guitar controller and fist pumped her free hand, feeling all of the victory one could with a game.

"Hey, hey!" Florence laughed at her friend's enthusiasm, but she grabbed her wrist and pulled her back down. "You needa be quiet. My mom is trying to sleep."

"Yeah, she's trying to sleep! Get your ass to bed, Kory!" Linda could be heard yelling from the master bedroom down the hall.

"Yes, Momma!" Kory giggled, staring at the door. Her face suddenly turned serious, however, when she looked at Florence. "We are so not going to sleep."

"Sorry, bro, but I need to. I'm working tomorrow," Florence said as she scrolled through the tracklist of the video game.

"Damn it... What am I gonna do when you leave?"

"I don't know... Sleep, play with Colven, hang out with London, wrestle a bear, play video games, raid the refridgerator. Ya know. Normal stuff."

"Psh, I know I'll raid the refridgerator. Oh! Oh! Raining Blood! Let's play Raining Blood!" Kory exclaimed, frantically pointing at the screen.

"Alright, alri-"

"God damn it, Kory!" Linda's muffled voice again. "I don't wanna hear about your raining blood! Go the hell to sleep!"

Florence laughed out loud, holding Kory down from running into her mother's room and rolling around on her bed. Yeah, it seemed absurd because who does that? Kory. Kory is who does that. She proved it the last time she stayed the night in that house.

"Sorry, Mom! We'll go to bed soon!"

Kory shot her friend a glare. "You are no fun at all, you know that?"

Florence smiled and hugged her best friend's arm. "But you love me anyway."

"'Out the back door, god damn! But I love her anyway!'" the blond qouted one of her favorite songs.

The younger girl rolled her eyes and unwrapped her arms from the other's bicep, then tapped the green button on the guitar controller. It wasn't very long at all till both girls were engrossed in the game, but of course their minds were on different things. But then... Were they?

Although she appeared to be totally into the game and nothing else, Kory's thoughts would not shut up. How is she with Derek of all people? She's too nice... Too sweet. I mean he used to be nice like her- well, maybe more sarcastic, but he was still happy. He's not like that anymore though... Not since Paige... And definitely not since the fire... Ugh, why can't I just forget about him? Oh. That's right. I've only loved him since the third grade... Stupid ass crushes... Crushing my heart and soul and existence and shit.

But it's more than a crush... It's a fucking- OH MY GOD WHAT THE FUCK GUITAR SOLO OK.

Florence, who obviously did not have nearly as much practice in the gaming category as her friend, was falling behind on the notes, much unlike Kory, who managed to miss about two. "God, Kory, how are you able to play like this?"

"Perfect practice makes perfect performance," she muttered, her eyes glued to the screen while her fingers flew over over the keys.

"Alright..."

But why is she with Derek?! Why couldn't she be with someone else? Someone who won't lie to her like he is... An ache crept through Kory's chest. She's going to find everything out soon... And when she does, she's going to fall. Hard.

The song ended minutes later, and Florence opened and closed her fingers several times. "Seriously, how do people just shred on guitars like that?"

"They're gods, Florence. I'm sure we've been over this."

The brunette couldn't help but smile at that. "You sound like Derek right now."

"What?" Kory frowned slightly. How the hell did she sound like him?!

"He basically said the same thing about Metallica. He loves that band a lot," Florence giggled, taking pride in the fact that she knew his favorite band.

Kory had to stop herself from saying, "I know." Instead she said, "Oh... That's cool. Metallica is the shit, you know!"

"Well, I'm not really into heavy metal, but I'll take your word for it."

The blond nodded. "So... What else about Derek?"

"Hm?"

"What's he like? I mean we haven't really talked about him much since I've been here."

"Oh..." Florence set her guitar controller down on her bed. "Well, for one, he's very protective of me. I mean I can't even hug another guy without him getting jealous. Two, he's... Tall," both girls giggled.

"Or maybe we're just short."

"Yeah, probably. Anyway... He's really good to me, Kory. I mean when I'm with him, I feel completely safe. He hugs me, and I feel as if I'm being shielded from every possible danger. I love him... I trust him. I trust him with my entire being. And honestly, I owe my life to him," her voice got very low as she spoke. She really did, didn't she?

Oh, Florence... No... "That's... That's cute, but what do you mean you owe your life to him?"

Her eyes, which were previously locked on Kory's, slowly drifted down. I need to tell her... Don't I? She's going to find out eventually...

"Florence?"

Florence took in a deep breath and stared down at her hands, feeling sick again. She'd gone this long without speaking a word of what happened to anyone besides Derek, and she was about to spill. Of course her stomach would be twisting in her body...

"Look, Kory... Don't freak out... Ok? It happened a long time ago..." Her voice was so quiet.

"Alright," Kory shifted in her seat and put her guitar down.

"Kyle... He uh... He used to hit m-"

"HE WHAT?!" Kory shot up from the stool and clenched her fists, making Florence quickly put her hands up, trying to tell her to calm down.

"You can't be so loud!" she practically stage whispered, pointing to the bedroom door.

"Sorry... But, Florence! Why didn't you tell me?"

"Because... I knew you'd flip..."

"Well yeah! Oh my god... How bad was it?"

"Well, I had bruises..."

Kory sighed and sat on the stool again. "So what? Derek helped you get out of that?"

"Yeah... He told me to leave him... So I left him."

"That's it?"

Florence nodded quickly. "Yeah."

No.

Kory heard the uptick in her heart rate... She lied.

"Are you sure?"

"Mhm. Yeah. After Kyle... Derek and I just got closer and closer till we finally just decided that we were official. We actually spent a few months just getting to know each other." It was obvious what Florence was trying to do.

Kory sighed lightly. If she wants to change the subject... Fine. I'll just find Derek. "So, you guys took it slow?"

"Yes. I think he felt that I needed time to heal, ya know? He's really considerate like that. Like he's constantly making sure I'm comfortable with something, if I'm ok, if I'm happy."

"He sounds like a really great guy," the blond said. Yeah... Really nice.

"He is!" Florence agreed, a huge smile on her face.

"Right, well... What time is your shift at the art center?"

"Ummm," she squinted a little and tilted her head as she tried to remember what hours she worked, "Oh! 10 a.m."

Kory nodded. "Then you should get some sleep. It's already," she pulled her cell phone out of her pocket and checked the time, "yeesh, 3:26 a.m."

"Dang... Alright. Pick out a movie that we can fall asleep to." Since they had changed into pajamas just hours before, Florence only had to get into her bed.

Kory nodded and scanned the small movie shelf next to the television, picking up Disney's Frozen to put it in the Xbox. She then hopped over to the bed and practically jumped in next to Florence, grateful that the bed was a queen size.

"What are we watching?" Florence asked.

"Frozen!"

She laughed and shook her head lightly. "You really like this movie, huh?"

"Yes! I saw it the day it came out!"

"Me too!" Florence laughed, "I dragged Derek into the movie theater with me."

"Oh Lord..."

"Of the Rings. I know. He wasn't too thrilled with it."

"I would assume not. He doesn't seem like the Disney type," Kory observed.

"Nah. But you wanna know what I told him?"

"What?"

"'Let it go,'" Florence stated, holding back a bark of laughter.

"Ayyyyy I see what you did there!"

"Exactly," the younger girl yawned as she got more comfortable in her bed. Her eyes already felt heavy... It wasn't long before they were too heavy to keep open.

Within just ten minutes, Kory looked over at her best friend to find her asleep. She smiled slightly and adjusted the blanket around her shoulder to keep her warm. "Goodnight, Florence."

The blond shifted a little on her back and glanced around the room, finding a bunch of things that reminded her of the short time she spent with Florence. It was just a little over a year, yes, but during that time, Kory found a friend that she loved so much. There really wasn't anything more important to her than Florence.

She saw a photograph of herself and her friend in their bathing suits next to the water slides at the water park. Kory remembered that day, and she smiled. The more she looked around, the more photographs she saw... She also found Derek's jacket sitting in the corner of the room on the jacket hook drilled into the wall.

Kory sighed lightly and stared at the leather. She could smell it from where she lay. It had the same scent... Only it had Florence on it too. Of course, she herself had Derek all over her...

Why didn't Florence tell me they had sex? I'm her best friend... What the hell, man? She wanted to ask her about it. She wanted to make sure Florence wasn't hurt, but she knew she couldn't. If she did, it would spark up a whole bunch of questions, like how she was able to tell... Kory shook her head lightly and pulled her mind from there. She really didn't want to to think about it. Well... If I'm going to have to find that fucker tomorrow, better remember how that jacket smells so I can track his ass down.

She knew she'd remember the scent.

She knew it would be easy to find Derek.

His scent was so distinct... He always smelled like the woods, but his personal sweat, his natural body aroma, was like Heaven to Kory. It was strong, but not "dude you needa shower" strong. It was like she could smell power... That had always been a characteristic of his scent. She remembered it from when she would spend nights looking up at the stars with him on top of the Hale house roof. But now... It seemed like it grew... Like he gained so much strength and power over the years that his scent was more potent.

How could anyone forget that?

Alright, muchachos! Here it is. Sorry it took longer for an update, but I wanted to get some schoolwork outta the way. That and I was busy all weekend with my birthday *mutters* Stupid birthday... *normal voice* And whatnot. But hey, I got a bombass wolf pen! :D

Anyyywwaaayyyyyyy.. Yep.